Headlines:
- America’s Failure in Afghanistan
- Turkey Exploits Syrian Refugees
- Sissi Sells Parts of Egypt
- ‘Europe Must Cultivate Own Islam’: German Politician wants to Cut Mosques off from Foreign Influence
- World of Islam Convenes in Istanbul, ‘Islamic Interpol’ Idea Gains Ground
- Pakistan’s Premier Leaves the Country Amid Panama Papers Scandal
- As leaders hold conference in Istanbul, Turkish border guards fire on Syrian refugees
- Erdogan gives greater weight to his personal dignity over the dignity of Islam
- Soleimani in Russia
- America Reasserts Presence in South China Sea
America’s Failure in Afghanistan
It was almost 2 years ago that Barack Obama addressed the American people regarding the situation in Afghanistan, claiming victory over Al Qaeda and the Taliban and its ‘extremist allies.’ Yet since his announcement to withdraw troops from the country he has had to make a U-turn, with troops now set to leave the nation by the end of 2016. However if victory has been achieved then why the delay on exiting Afghanistan? Since the bulk of US troops have left Afghanistan the Taliban have been going from strength to strength with attacks upon the capital and more recently the announcement of a spring offensive, named ‘Operation Omari’ in memory of Mullah Omar. The Taliban said in a statement they would “employ large-scale attacks on enemy positions across the country”. With the announcement coming at a time of extreme political pressure for the Afghan government to negotiate peace with the Taliban. The American plan for peace to prevail in Afghanistan as long the current regime, loyal to them, remains in place is on the brink of collapse as pressure pikes up on the regime to cut a deal quickly, it is not a surprise then that the Taliban further said their scholars, elders and leaders will open a dialogue with the government forces to give up their opposition to the group and join their ranks to safeguard them. After a decade of war, after using all its might, America has failed in Afghanistan.
Turkey Exploits Syrian Refugees
Under Turkey’s new employment law, 0.074% of the 2.1 million Syrian refugees were given permission to apply for work permits. This was in response to Turkey’s promise to take refugees from Europe as it attempts to become warm with the EU. Whilst this law was made to deal with the rising refugee population, it has had the opposite effect. Syrians have complained of exploitation in the form of low wages, mistreatment due to lack of accountability and being harassed by authorities due to their illegal status. Employers have refused to offer their Syrian staff contracts as it is cheaper to keep them in their current state, and with the local Turkish population being replaced by the Syrian refugees for this reason, Turkey is paying the price for not doing what was necessary in the first place which was to end the conflict.
Sissi Sells Parts of Egypt
Abdul Fattah el-Sissi’s sales of two strategic Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia has kicked off a storm of vociferous opposition. The announcement that a team of Egyptian experts has concluded that the islands of Tiran and Sanafir at the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba were inside Saudi territorial waters has taken Egyptians by surprise, raising criticism by some that the move amounted to a territorial sell-off to the oil-rich Saudis at a time when Egypt’s battered economy needs all the help it can get. Tiran is the larger of the two islands and is closer to Egypt’s southern Sinai coast. It is associated in the mind of many Egyptians with their country’s four wars against the Jewish entity between 1948 and 1973, a time of nationalistic fervor and patriotism. More recently, Tiran has become a popular destination for tourists. Hardly anyone in Egypt had thought of Tiran, the better known of the two islands, as anything but Egyptian territory for generations. But the government now says that Saudi Arabia in 1950 merely placed the islands in Egypt’s custody to defend them against possible attack by the Jewish entity. Now, according to that narrative, Riyadh is able to defend the island and is simply taking its own territory. Curiously, the pro-el-Sissi media has gone to great lengths to prove, even justify, Saudi Arabia’s claim to the islands. In the same vein, a Foreign Ministry statement lauded the decision as the fruit of “more than six years of hard and long work.” “Egypt has not surrendered a single square inch of its territory under any condition,” the top state newspaper Al-Ahram said in its Monday editorial. “But it will be unreasonable to deny our brothers their right to holding on to their own territory when all documents prove their ownership.” Under Sissi, Egypt has suffered from economic collapse and now like his predecessor Hosni Mubarak, he is using brute force to remain in power. But his incompetency is now clear for all to see and that’s why he is selling parts of the country to cover his failures.
‘Europe Must Cultivate Own Islam’: German Politician wants to Cut Mosques off from Foreign Influence
A senior German politician has put forward a proposal to “cultivate” a European kind of Islam in Germany by barring foreign investment from Muslim countries, introducing local training for imams and making German obligatory in mosques. Andreas Scheuer, General Secretary of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party of Angela Merkel’s governing CDU party, in an interview with Germany’s Die Welt, spoke of the need for a so-called Islam law that would help Muslims smoothly integrate into European society. “We cannot tolerate a situation in which extremist views are imported from abroad… Europe must cultivate its own Islam,” Scheuer stressed. The law would involve curbing the money flow from foreign countries such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia to mosques and Islamic kindergartens in Germany. Imams serving the Islamic population should “be trained in Germany and share our core values.” Apart from that, all services in local mosques should be conducted exclusively in German, Scheuer added. “This is only the beginning of our efforts. And we must do our best to succeed. There’s no point in passing an integration act if we turn a blind eye to what is preached in mosques and by whom,” the CDU general secretary stressed. When asked about those who fail to integrate, Scheuber had no hesitation in saying that these people should be punished or even deported. “Whoever does not integrate themselves cannot stay here. We must stop with this integration romance. Multiculturalism has failed. Whoever is not integrated must deal with leaving this country,” he concluded. [Source: RT Today]
Here is open admission that one of Europe’s cherished principles ‘Multiculturalism’ an offshoot of pluralism is dead. Instead of allowing people from different backgrounds to live according to their own norms and culture, the German minister wants to take Germany back to the dark ages and legalize the persecution of religious minorities to forcibly integrate Muslims under a German version of Islam. But tough questions about why pluralism failed are never asked or explored as this will expose the rotten foundations of liberal democracy.
World of Islam Convenes in Istanbul, ‘Islamic Interpol’ Idea Gains Ground
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Member states agreed to establish an Istanbul-based police cooperation and coordination center to tackle terror and other crimes, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Thursday at the 13th OIC Summit Conference, held in Istanbul. “It would be helpful to establish a structure among member states that will strengthen and institutionalize cooperation against terror and other crimes,” Erdoğan said, adding that Turkey’s proposal to realize this with an Istanbul-based center, under the formal name of OIC Center for Police Cooperation and Coordination, was approved by member states. His remarks came at the opening ceremony of the OIC summit. Erdoğan said that all Muslims must overcome sectarian temptations that instigate hostility. “I believe the greatest challenge we need to surmount is sectarianism. My religion is not that of Sunnis, of Shiites. My religion is Islam,” he asserted. Erdoğan also said that terrorist organizations that attack and kill innocent people in the name of Islam and other Muslims cannot be representatives of the “noble religion.” “We should be uniting. Out of the conflicts, the tyranny, only Muslims suffer,” he said, adding that the summit meeting could be a “turning point” for the whole Islamic world. Saying that terror is one of the gravest problems facing the Islamic world, he decried the devastation in Afghanistan, where hundreds of thousands been killed. “Now DAESH, which controls areas in Iraq and Syria and is trying to get control of Libya, serves the same dirty plans. We see Boko Haram and Al Shabaab, which conduct terror attacks in Africa, as belonging to the same category. Apart from a few attacks done for publicity, all these terror organizations oppress and harm all Muslims,” Erdoğan stressed. Erdoğan underscored that Muslims should be united and urged them to strengthen mutual dialogue. [Source: Daily Sabah]
Will the so-called Islamic Interpol go after those Islamic leaders implicated in the Panama Papers or those guilty of killing their populations to remain in power? Alternatively, as expected Interpol will pursue sincere dawah carriers who toil day and night to liberate the Muslim world from its corrupt leadership and subservience to the Western powers.
Pakistan’s Premier Leaves the Country amid Panama Papers Scandal
Speculation about the political fate of Pakistan’s embattled Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, was swirling on Thursday after he left the country in the middle of an unfolding scandal over his family’s offshore wealth. Opposition politicians have pressed Mr. Sharif to resign after the so-called Panama Papers document leak revealed that three of his children controlled shell companies through which they owned expensive residential properties in London. Demands have picked up for a judicial commission under the country’s chief justice to investigate any potential wrongdoing by the prime minister and his family. Mr. Sharif has rejected any allegations of money laundering, claiming that his children have legitimate business abroad, and he has signaled his willingness to establish an inquiry commission. But as the political turmoil increased, Mr. Sharif flew to London on Wednesday for cardiac medical treatment that he described as a checkup. The timing of the visit immediately prompted rumors that Mr. Sharif might not return to Pakistan until investigations were completed. In his absence, the finance minister, Ishaq Dar, is leading important cabinet meetings this week. However, government officials said that Mr. Sharif will return on Sunday, and will face the crisis. Mr. Sharif has tried to assert civilian control over the government but has run into difficulties with the powerful military, which has again become ascendant in both foreign and domestic affairs in recent months and commands a deep well of public support. On Thursday, Imran Khan, the most trenchant political opponent of Mr. Sharif, also arrived in London. Mr. Khan said he was looking to hire financial investigation agencies that could look into the Sharif family’s dealings. Mr. Khan has threatened to lead street protests if an investigation is not initiated by the government. Some political analysts here say that the major opposition political parties do not want the crisis to reach the point at which the military might step in. But the Panama Papers leak has lent momentum to Mr. Khan at a time when he had seemed politically weakened. He led thousands of his supporters and staged a sit-in outside the Parliament in 2014, accusing Mr. Sharif of rigging the last general elections. That effort to bring down Mr. Sharif fizzled, but Mr. Khan is taking this as a second chance. “This is a godsend opportunity for us,” Mr. Khan said last week, urging Pakistanis to rise against Mr. Sharif. Another mainstream political power, the Pakistan Peoples Party, has so far seemed to be weighing its options, and there has been no major joining of forces with Mr. Khan. Analysts say the party may be looking to cut a deal with Mr. Sharif. “They are trying to find some kind of political agreement to deal with the current crisis,” said Hasan Askari Rizvi, a prominent political analyst based in Lahore. “He is not threatened to that extent,” Mr. Rizvi added. “However, if all political parties join hands, then Nawaz is in real trouble.” [Source: New York Times].
It is odd that Sharif could neither visit nor build a hospital that performs routine heart checkups. But what is even more damning is how quickly Pakistani politicians of all colors leave the country for foreign shores when confronted with problems that implicate them. Such a leadership is not fit to run the country. Pakistan requires leaders that are sincere to Islam and its people., and this can only be accomplished through the establishment of Khilafah Rashideh (Caliphate) upon the method of the Prophethood.
As leaders hold conference in Istanbul, Turkish border guards fire on Syrian refugees
As Muslim rulers hold a two-day summit conference in the Turkish capital of Istanbul, Turkish border guards were reported firing on refugees trying to flee intensified fighting in northern Syria. Despite the newly secured refugee agreement with Europe, Erdogan continues to block Syrian refugees from entering into Turkey.
According to a Human Rights Watch report, about 30,000 Syrians are trapped near the border with Turkey, neither able to go back nor able to advance into Turkey. Behind them is intensifying fighting between the ISIS and the FSA. In front of them are Turkish border guards refusing to allow them to enter. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) also reports a “mass displacement” of Syrians at the Bab al Salam border crossing.
In the aftermath of Bashar al-Assad’s assault on Aleppo, the IS group is advancing on brigades north of the city that are opposed to the regime. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Thursday that the IS group is making a wide advance on opposition-held territory along the Turkish border as a result. The IS group has also been targeting displaced person camps near the Turkish border and has forced out at least half of the camps’ 60,000 residents during its advances on Wednesday and Thursday.
Human Rights Watch has called on Turkish border guards to stop shooting at civilians and allow them to cross into that country. The organisation quotes a civilian who said, “As we approached the border wall, we saw Turkish soldiers on a hill behind the wall and they just started shooting at us”. “They shot at our feet and everyone just turned round and ran in all directions. I took my family and we walked to another camp nearby.” “We’re afraid now because ISIS is close to this camp too. But where can we go?”
Meanwhile, Erdogan called at the conclusion of the conference for unity: “As Muslims, we cannot overcome our difficulties without achieving unity in spite of our differences.” In fact, Erdogan is putting geopolitics above the welfare of Muslims by trying to constrain the movement of the Syrian refugees in order to fulfil his desire to create a buffer zone in northern Syria alongside the Turkish border.
Erdogan gives greater weight to his personal dignity over the dignity of Islam
Turkish President Erdogan has imposed upon Germany’s Merkel to pursue prosecution of a German comedian who appeared on German television making false accusations against the Turkish leader.
We do not accept attacks in the West upon Muslim leaders. But where was Erdogan’s self-respect when the West was attacking the dignity of the Prophet of Islam (saw)?
Soleimani in Russia
Reuters is reporting from sources on Friday that Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani travelled to Moscow to discuss how to enable the Syrian government to take back full control of the city of Aleppo. He met with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and also Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite the meeting not previously being on Putin’s schedule.
It seems that the Syrian government is facing greater than expected resistance in retaking Aleppo, and this has caused it to also introduce delays into the indirect negotiations being conducted by U.N. mediator Steffan de Mistura in Geneva. Previous to this, de Mistura had himself delayed the resumption of the negotiations. This indicates that the Western-sponsored negotiations are being carefully choreographed to match Syria’s requirements on the ground.
Despite its loud rhetoric, Iran evidently sees its national interest to be in working closely with leading non-Muslim powers against the Muslims in Syria.
America reasserts presence in South China Sea
In a clear signal to China, US Defence Secretary Ash Carter landed aboard a US aircraft carrier in the South China Sea for the second time in five months, this time with Philippine Defence Secretary Voltaire Gazmin at his side as they watched US Navy fighter jets launch off the carrier’s flight deck. Later in the ship’s hanger bay, Carter explained that his message in making the trip is that the United States “intends to continue to play a role in keeping peace and stability in this region”.
China is attempting to articulate a relationship of cooperation with America at a global level whereas America is creating problems for China at her doorstep. When will China realise that America can never be trusted as a reliable partner in world affairs? Western Capitalism creates personalities that are too deeply entrenched in self-interest to allow them to ever be sincere to the interests of others. China should compare the American posturing with its past experience of when the Khilafah state was the world’s superpower; the peace and stability that the Khilafah established worldwide enabled China to dismantle her blue-water navy without fear of external attack from anyone. It was only during the final decline of the Ottoman State that China became prey to Western colonialist forces.